Chronological information

First appearance

Last Appearance

The Fire Sages are an organization that serves as the religious authority of the Fire Nation and is responsible for identifying the Avatar's incarnation when he or she is born in the Fire Nation. Their additional duties include guarding the temple and conducting weddings and funerals for the Royal Family and for those who seek their spiritual advice.

Contents

History

Ancient history

Thousands of years prior to the Hundred Year War, a group of Bhanti Tribe sages ventured off their remote island into what would later become the Fire Nation. After taking control of the nation, these tribesmen became the first Fire Sages.[4] They formed a council and led the Fire Nation with a strong sense of spirituality, similar to the Air Nomads. The leader of these sages was called the "Fire Lord" because of his high level of firebending and his "deep spiritual connection to fire." Over time, the Fire Lord took political and governmental structures into his own hands, severing ties with the Fire Sages and creating an imperial system that he himself would lead.[5] This resulted in the loss of the sages' political power. Over time, their loyalty turned from the Fire Lord to the Avatar, and their goal became to aid him or her in their journey to become a fully realized Avatar.[1]

Slow downfall

Fire Sages told AvatarRoku of his identity during his sixteenth birthday.

In 66 BG, during Roku and Sozin's birthday party, the Fire Sages announced the identity of the next Avatar, who was revealed to be Roku.[3] Fire Sage Kaja later assisted Avatar Roku in his mastering of the Avatar State, training with him for five months which lead to Roku eventually forcing himself into the Avatar State by using the summer solstice sun. Roku became stuck in the Avatar State and ended up destroying the upper half of the Fire Temple and causing the nearby volcano to erupt, but Kaja was able to help Roku out of the Avatar State in the same way that Roku had triggered it.[6] After Avatar Roku died, Fire Lord Sozin began the Hundred Year War with an attack on the Air Nomads. The Fire Lord set forth a decree that anyone who helped the Avatar would be considered a traitor to the Fire Nation and dealt with accordingly. Because of this, the Fire Sages were ordered to switch their allegiance to the Fire Lord. Some, such as Shyu's father, resisted and were executed for continuing to profess loyalty to the Avatar.[7]

Over time, as the Avatar failed to reappear, most sages lost faith that the Avatar would return and gradually fell completely under the control of the imperial government. By the time of Fire Lord Azulon's reign, the sages had become little more than aging remnants of a time where spirituality was placed before military might. Nonetheless, Azulon maintained a little spirituality, thus allowing the Fire Sages to continue to perform their religious services. Besides regular activities like presiding over weddings, the sages sometimes even advised the Fire Lord in spiritual affairs and the arranging of the Fire Princes' marriages.[1] Their prediction that pairing the Avatar's granddaughter with Azulon's son would yield a powerful bloodline even led to the marriage of Prince Ozai and Ursa.[8] However, when Zuko was born to the Fire Prince, they were not sure if he was a bender at all, as he lacked the "spark in [his] eyes". Subsequently, Ozai planned to cast his firstborn over the palace wall, and the infant was only saved because the sages and Ursa came to his rescue.[9]

Fire Lord Ozai's reign

Eventually, the Fire Sages officiated the funeral of Fire Lord Azulon in 95 AG, and afterward the High Sage crowned Fire Lord Ozai. Unfortunately for the sages, Ozai was only interested in power, and unlike his father, he was not in the least spiritual. Following his coronation, they lost all their remaining power and influence.[1][10]

By the time of Aang's reemergence from the iceberg, the Fire Sages had turned completely away from their original purpose. When they learned of the Avatar's return when Aang's triggering of the Avatar State in the Southern Air Temple caused various statues and murals within Avatar Temples around the world to become supernaturally illuminated, they immediately relayed the news to Fire Lord Ozai.[1]

Later, when Aang and his friends tried to enter the shrine on Crescent Island, the five sages there confronted Aang and attempted to prevent him from speaking with Avatar Roku, chasing the three around the entire temple. However, one sage, Shyu, had remained loyal to the Avatar. He betrayed his associates and helped the three trick the four other sages into opening the doors of the sanctuary that held Roku's statue. Once inside, Aang met with Avatar Roku and together, they destroyed the temple for the sages' betrayal of the previous Avatar. Afterward, all five sages were blamed by CommanderZhao for the upsetting failure and arrested.[1]

The capital Fire Sages were not purged, however, and continued to serve their functions for the Royal Family. They were about to coronate Azula as the next Fire Lord when Zuko and Katara arrived.[11] Instead of finishing the coronation, they watched as Azula and Zuko fought an Agni Kai for the crown. Afterward, the sages conducted Zuko's coronation as Fire Lord.[12]